This application claims the priority of German application 198 44 278.5, filed in Germany on Sep. 26, 1998 the disclosure of which is expressly incorporated by reference herein.
The invention relates to a counterbearing for a spring as used to support an actuating element of a latching device of a selector lever.
As disclosed for example in German Patent Document No. DE 39 27 922 A1, known counterbearings are permanently formed on the selector lever.
In contrast to this prior art, a goal of the invention is to provide a counterbearing for a spring that is simplified in terms of its assembly.
This goal is achieved according to the invention by providing a counterbearing for a spring for supporting an actuating element for a latching device on a selector lever having parallel walls on its lower part, wherein the counterbearing is designed as a first plate on which projections are shaped laterally, said projections being provided endwise with latching noses engageable in openings provided in the walls to receive the latching noses.
For simplifying the assembly of the counterbearing, it is proposed to make the counterbearing as a plate on which projections with latching noses located endwise are provided. To receive the plate, a lower part of the selector lever has essentially parallel walls in which openings are provided to receive the latching noses. The assembly of such a counterbearing is also still possible at a later point in time during assembly so that the spring need not be installed during the previous assembly steps of the selector lever and/or is not under pretension, and so the assembly process is simplified. Due to the fact that latching noses are provided on it as fastening means, during the assembly of the counterbearing the pretensioning force of the spring does not have to be supported during the fastening process but the counterbearing can be installed in a single assembly step instead by inserting it between the parallel walls.
Other advantageous features of preferred embodiments of the invention are described below and in the claims.
Thus it is proposed to provide on the top of the plate a device to receive a foot area of the spring. By this measure, the spring is connected with the counterbearing and the spring does not have to be held separately when the counterbearing is installed, further facilitating assembly.
It is also proposed to form a second plate beside the first plate and to provide essentially parallel end faces laterally on the walls, along which faces the second plate can slide as it rests flat against them. The second plate is designed so that it rests essentially flat on the end faces in the assembly position of the first plate. In this way, the assembly of the counterbearing is further simplified since only the second plate must rest flat against the end faces for correct alignment of the latching noses relative to the openings in the walls and then must be moved against the force of the spring until the latching noses engage the openings in the walls. The assembly process can be further facilitated by providing a handle, for example a groove for the thumb, on the top of the second plate.
Finally, stops can be provided on the walls corresponding to the first plate or stops can be provided on the end faces corresponding to the second plate that prevent movement of the counterbearing against the force of the spring beyond the assembly position and thus increase the reliability of assembly.